William baton thomson



W. P. THOMSON.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6. ma.

1 ,3 1 4,767 Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

fnrenior UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM PATON THOMSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE RAIL JOINT COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

RAIL-JOINT.

Application filed June 6. 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM PATON TnoMsoN, citizen of the United States, residing at- New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints,-of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in rail joints of the continuous type.

Primarily, the invention contemplates a novel formation of foot flange for the bar to provide adequate pliancy to insure greater facility of application in track and an accurate fit to the underside of the rail base. To this end, the improved structure is so designed that the rail supporting base member may be seated in a more horizontal manner than is nerally possible where the construction o the lower portion of the bar is such as to involve a substantial hinging action in the metal at the junction between the foot and the rail supporting base memher, or where such hinging action is focused or concentrated at any other single point. It is therefore, one of the important objects of the invention to provide the desired pliancy in the lower part ofthe joint bar without focusing breaking strains in a restricted location or area, while at the same time so distributing the metal in the lower part of the bar, in relation to the horizontal neutral axis, as to obtain a distinct structural improvement from a standpoint of resistance to bendin of the bar in undesirable locations, an also from the standpoint of increasing the efliciency of a given amount of a metal in the bar. By reason of taking these important structural factors into consideration it is possible, according to the present invention, to design a continuous joint bar having adequate pliancy in the foot member to insure a proper'fit' of the bar on the rail flange under all conditions, as well as a proper seating of the base member of the bar in substantially a horizontal, plane without focusing abnormal strains at any one point or location.

With the above and other "objects in view which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept, 2, 1919.

Serial No. 238,516.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein The figure is a diagrammatic end elevation illustrating a rail of standard section having applied thereto a continuous joint bar embodying the present features of improvement.

As indicated, the present invention is chiefly directed to an improvement in the base portion of a continuous type joint bar which includes the upper inclined foot memher 1 and the horizontal rail base supporting member 2 connected by an integral neck rtion 3. In carryin the invention into e ect it is proposed to form a foot member 1 of substantially uniform thickness. preferably from the point where the arc of the fillet a at the lower endof the bar-web terminates in the inclined upper face of the foot flange, to a point where the arc of the fillet b at the neck 3 merges into the under face of the foot flange. This construction in effect produces within the foot member of the bar a well defined attenuated section a: of a substantial length and area as distinguished from-a restricted location or point, as for instance at the junction between the foot and the web of the bar or at the junction of the foot and base member of the bar.

The said section a: may be, and preferably is, of a less thickness than the bar foot member found in common practice, and has a well defined clearance, as indicated at 4, from the'upper side of the rail flange. These features accentuate the function of the said section as as a flexing web-section which assures an adequate pliancy, permitting the foot member to readily spring downwardly from the said section a: when the bar is being fitted upon the rail flange. This spring action is coextensive with the length of the attenuated web section as, and, being distributed over a considerable area, necessarily obviates the objection which exists to focusing or concentrating the flexing of the lower portion of the continuous joint bar in a restricted location, area, or neck. 1

In the process of rolling the novel section herein described, it is preferable to distribute the metal in such a manner that the connecting neck 3 between the foot 1 and the base 2 is of a greater thickness than is customary, and also whereby the width of said neck, as indicated at 3 will be submore, the increased thickness of the neck 3- provides a substantial mauling shoulder for driving the joint bar onto the rail flange.

To assist in confining the flexing or spring action of the bar to and within the flexing Web section m a preferable detail which may be observed in the designing of the bar is to have the clearance 5, for the base flange of the rail, materially increased over the common practice, thus further augmenting the resilient effect of the foot flange 1. In this conrfection it is to be noted that a distinctive feature of the present invention is to have the elongated flexing section an extend beyond the vertical plane of the outer edge of the rail flange and cooperate with the clearances between the joint bar and the outer and under edge portions of the rail flange as clearly shown in the figure of the drawings. By reason of having these ample clearances beyond and beneath the edge of the rail flange the elongated and attenuated flexing section as becomes quite effective as a spring section adapting itself to an accurate fitof the bar to. .the joint bar upon and beneath the rail flange for its intended purpose.

A further feature of the invention resides in the special formation of the inner lower corner portion of the foot flange 2 within the zone covered by the dotted lines 0. That is to say, by beveling or truncating the inner end of the foot flange 2 of the bar, as

shown, the tie resistance due to forcing the bar inward toward the rail web is reduced to a minimum, and.at thesame time some metal is saved which may be advantageously .used elsewhere in the bar to improve the structural strength thereof.

It will thus be seen that a, distinctive and important phase of the invention is that of providing a structure distinguishing from bars'of those types wherein a hinging action occurs in the lower portion of the bar at some restricted location or area, usually a contracted neck. To that end the distinctive and practical result of the improved construction is that of providing an adequate pliancy in the foot of the splice bar,

I thus permitting the base part of the bar to open and adapt itself to a tapering rail flange without focusing or concentrating breaking strains in any restricted or contracted point. This. insures a facile a plication in track,,a more accurate fit o the base of the bar to the under side of the rail, and entirely obviates any tendency of the base member of the bar to move away from the bottom of the rail either in a downwardly and outwardly direction, or in a downwardly and inwardly direction. Furthermore, it will now have been observed that another desirable feature incident to the lengthening of the attenuated web section w is that the angularity of the straight body of metal in the foot is fiat tened, as distinguished from the usual tapered effect, thereby better resisting loading thrusts at a greater distance on the tie from tion overlying the rail flange and extending beyond the edge thereof.

2. A rail joint bar including a base member, and a foot'member having an attenuated flexing section overlying the rail flange and extending beyond the edge thereof.

3. A rail joint bar including a base member, and a foot member connecting with the base member to provide a clearance beyond the edge of the rail flange and formed with an attenuated flexing section disposed above the rail flange.

4. A rail joint bar including a base member,-and a foot. member connecting with the base member to provide a clearance beyond the edge of the rail flange and formed with an attenuated flexing section disposed above the rail flange and extending substantially beyond the same.

5. A rail joint bar including a base mom-- ber and a foot member connecting with the base member to provide clearance beyond and beneath the edge of the rail flange, said. foot member having an attenuated flexing section overlying the rail flange and extending beyond the edge thereof.

7. A rail base-supporting joint bar having a foot member provided with. a flexing section of substantially uniform thickness throughout, said flexing section being of a length to in part overlie the rail flange'and in part extend beyond the edge of the same.

8. A rail base-supporting joint bar having a foot member provided with an attenuated flexing section of substantially uniform thickness throughout and formed to provide a clearance from the upper side and outer edge portion of the rail flange.

9. A rail joint bar including a base member and a foot member having a neck connection with a base member to provide a clearance beyond the edge of the rail flange, said foot member being provided with aflexing section of less thickness than said connecting neck.

10. A rail joint bar including a base member and a foot member having a neck con nection with a base member to provide a clearance beyond the edge of the rail flange, said foot member being provided with an attenuated flexing section of less thickness than said connecting neck.

11. A rail joint bar including a base member and a foot member having a flexing web section overlying the rail flange and extending beyond the edge thereof, said flexing web section occupying substantially the area between the neck connecting the foot with the bar and the neck connecting the footwith the base member.

12. A rail base-supporting joint bar having a foot member provided with a flexin section spaced above the rail flange an extending substantially beyond the edge thereof.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

\VILLIAM PATON THOMSON.

Witnesses C. A. Drsnnow, E. K. KERSHNER. 

